By Wendy Johnson
AN award-winning fashionista from Warrington who has made her mark on the fashion scene across the pond is heading back to her hometown to expand her unique designer handbag enterprise.
Thirty-three-year-old Lorna Nixon from Westbrook, has rubbed shoulders with the world’s top fashion houses and will be opening the doors to her new shop ‘I made That Bag’ at 25, Cario Street next month, bringing her unique, niche DIY innovation to Warrington’s dedicated followers of fashion.
Entrepreneur Lorna has spent the past 13 years building her bag brand in New York’s famous historic fashion district of Brooklyn. An internship led to her role as senior designer across leading houses at the age of 25 before taking the big leap to launch her own venture. She is the one woman creator of an idea born from her years of experience in the industry along with her fine making skill set obtained from the prestigious ‘Cordwainers’ in London whose alumni include Jimmy Choo.
‘I Made That Bag’ will give the town’s fashion conscious the chance to build their own unique handbag from easy DIY kits through to a range of finished accessories that pair interchangeable pouches creating a finished product that no one else will have. And it doesn’t stop there, nothing is wasted as the thrifty creator, who truly values raw materials, sources the finest from Italy and around Europe, turns all her scraps into smaller accessories including her popular designer ‘pup poop bags’.
The idea of passing on these age-old skills of leathercraft in an accessible way is Lorna’s small nod of appreciation to a craft that has allowed her to flourish across the Atlantic. Her idea allows the maker to gain an insight into making handmade goods and the time and effort that goes into the craft. The spin off, she hopes, will generate new skills and hobbies.
“Though I love New York, the pandemic prevented me from coming home for 3 years. As prices sky rocket in New York it makes it tougher for small businesses to survive let alone thrive” said Lorna who studied at Great Sankey High School and Priestley College, “I feel it’s time to close this chapter. Being home and having family excited about the brand is a plus too, even my 13-year-old niece can’t wait to help around the shop. A move was always imminent. It was by chance when I was on a visit back home, this particular shop vacancy popped up, even the look of it resembles the charm of my Brooklyn Studio. It was too perfect a spot not to snap it up”. Explained Lorna, who says she is excited about making Warrington her base, hoping it will afford her more time to grow the brand. She added “New York will always be a big part of the brand and will continue to show and sell at markets in the Big Apple during the busier sales seasons”.
With her passion for all things art, it was her ‘sketch’ that landed her in the Independent Handbag Awards in New York. She painstakingly brought her design to life and scooped top prize awarding her a scholarship with Swarovski enabling her to launch her first debut collection through their London, New York and Shanghai stores.
While she was home last summer, Lorna dived into the local makers markets and was impressed by the variety and hub of makers in the North West. She said: “I’ll continue to sell at local markets, Warrington’s monthly Makers’ Market is just a few streets away, it’ll be a great way to get the word out about the shop. It’s important for me to produce locally and support all things locally made. It’s pretty fantastic to be able to meet the maker behind your purchase and I cannot wait to meet new customers. All products will be made on site and for those looking to make something for themselves or a gift, the shop will have a dedicated area for ‘walk ins’ to make our kits which are a range of pre-cut, hole pre-punched accessories making it easy to put together for any skill level. We’ll also have a stamp machine where you can further personalize your accessories on the spot.”
Lorna added: “This designer handbag concept has been done before, what makes my brand different is it really is a blank canvas for personalization – all styles are functional and stylish. They are all made from high quality leather at affordable prices. My brand is designed to be accessible to all levels and is a great way to learn the basics of hand stitching”.
She concluded: “I have a line of ‘host bags’ which are finished accessories that have a front pocket that can pair with the DIY envelopes, taking the unique factor seamlessly further, creating a new look by interchanging pouches. And YES, to pet accessories!! Truly valuing raw materials, I turn all scrap pieces into smaller accessories, the most popular being our poop bags. Made from scraps, these are all totally unique. You can buy one that resembles your pup or take it a step further and we can hand paint them to match. With little effort ‘I Made That Bag’ will enable you to create something you’ll be proud to show off.”
‘I Made That Bag’ is set to open on May 12. You can contact Lorna via email on [email protected] and Instagram @imadethatbag where Lorna can also be reached via direct message.
